Gladiator II Review – Strength Of Performances Honor A Legacy

It was over 24 years ago that Gladiator released in Cinemas across the world. For myself and many others that movie stands among our favourites. It was so good in fact that most people felt it never needed a sequel. Yet here we are all this years later and Gladiator II has just had its opening weekend. So, how does it stack up?

Title: Gladiator II
Production Company: Scott Free Productions & Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick Productions
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Produced by: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, & David Franzoni
Written by: Peter Craig & David Scarpa
Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, & Denzel Washington
Based on: Characters by David Franzoni
Release dates: November 22, 2024
Running time: 148 minutes
Rating: R for bloody violent content

Respecting A Legacy

Well, to start with the story takes place around 16 years after the events of the first movie. The movie starts with a lot of parallels to the original but in a touching and respectful way. For example the opening shot involving a hand in wheat is done in such a manner that it draws your mind immediately to Maximus in Gladiator but it’s also no a carbon copy of that scene letting you know this will also be very different. Something else that really stood out to me was the use of archive footage from Gladiator in the opening credits.

This theme of respect and nostalgia but difference carries on throughout the entire film. With many characters sure to see comparisons with those from the original but ultmately being different.

Entering The Colosseum Gladiator II

Speaking of in Gladiator II we see the return of some characters and cast members from the original such as Lucilla (Connie Neilsen), Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) along with a host of new faces. Lucius returns this time as the main protagonist, but is portrayed by Paul Mescal instead of Spencer Treat Clark who played the role in the original. Denzel Washington also joins the cast as Macrinus a former slave that takes Lucius under his wing. While Pedro Pascal also stars as Roman General Marcus Acacius, Joseph Quinn joins Fred Hechinger as Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla respectively.

The truth is I loved every performance from across the whole cast, I just wish the script had given Joseph Quinn a bit more to do as Emperor Geta. I was deeply impressed with Quinn’s ability to set himself apart from Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus despite the similarities between the two characters.

Paul Mescal puts in a great performance as Lucius, showing the characters growth and motivations changing throughout. Mescal doesn’t quite get the opportunity for a “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius…” moment, but he has multiple monologues that in time might be remember just as fondly.

Pedro Pascal has perhaps the most complex character to play for reasons I won’t explain due to spoilers. That being said, Pascal smashes his performance as Marcus Acacius out of the park.

A Coin Toss Gladiator II

In Gladiator, Russel Crowe’s performance as Maximus was superb. Those shoes were always going to be hard to fill, both because of Crowe’s performance and Maximus as a character.

If you think of Maximus as a coin, the characters of Lucius and Marcus Acacius are like two halves of that same coin. One represents Strength and the other Honor if you will. The performances of Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal bring this to life while making each character ultimately stand on their own two feet.

Stealing the show, as you might expect is Denzel Washington who lends a gravitas to every word of Macrinus. For me, this felt on par with Washington’s performance in Training Day. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him collecting awards in the coming months.

Music Fit For An Emperor Gladiator II

Now, we must talk about the film score because unfortunately Hans Zimmer opted not to return for this sequel. Harry Gregson-Williams who previously worked with Ridley Scott on The Martian among other projects steps up to the plate. I’ll admit I was very apprehensive about anyone but Hans Zimmer scoring this movie. Not because I dislike Harry Gregson-Williams work by any means, the score for the first movie is just so iconic.

However, much like the rest of the production Harry Gregson-Williams score pays such respect to that original while being different enough to set itself apart. So, it has every chance to become an iconic score in its own right in the years to come. ‘I See Him In You’ is a particularly clever track that takes cues and samples some of Zimmer’s score in a way that makes sense for story but expands upon it. There wasn’t a single part of Harry Gregson-Williams score that I disliked, I’m just not sure that anything quite matches ‘Now We Are Free’ from the original movie. If I was to pick a favourite track from the Gladiator II soundtrack, it would be Harry Gregson-Williams version of ‘Strength and Honor’ shares similarities with the Zimmer version in the same way that Lucius shares similarities with Maximus. Just like with those characters though the two versions of ‘Strength and Honor’ have different motivations.

Are You Not Entertained Gladiator II

As much as I loved Gladiator II, I did have some problems with it. Firstly, certain characters motivations and goals make sense but it feels like we skip a story beat to get there. It left me with a feeling that a director’s cut might make a big difference to the story’s flow. Secondly, some characters feel greatly underutilized.

Ultimately, Gladiator II is a fantastically fun movie and a great spectacle for the big screen. The strength of performances from all the cast really help the film live up to and honor the legacy of Gladiator. The rushed feeling of some story aspects, leaves me wondering if Gladiator II will have the same legacy as its predecessor. In the end, time will tell but for now if you are a fan of the first film in my opinion Gladiator II is a must watch!